We now come to my third and final talk on the Vimalakirti sutra. My first talk covered the first four chapters. Last week I covered the second four chapters - ending with chapter eight.

Today, we start with chapter nine entitled “The Dharma Door of Non-Duality.” The structure of this chapter is very simple. Vimalakirti asks the Bodhisattvas a question, to which thirty-one of them in turn give answers. The same question is then put by the Bodhisattvas to Manjushri, and by Manjusrhi to Vimalakirti, and each of them answers it in his or her own way. The question Vimalakirti asks is “Please explain how the Bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-door of nonduality.”

Now, what kind of question is this? To begin with, what is meant by the expression “Dharma-door?” Dharma of course, refers to the teachings of the Buddha. However, every teaching/doctrine you can think is expressed in concepts and every concept you can think of has an opposite. If there is truth, there must be falsehood. If there is brightness, there must be darkness. The Dharma is therefore always expressed, whether explicitly or implicitly, in terms of pairs of opposites - that is, in terms of duality.

Our defiled mind-consciousness sees everything, even reality itself, in terms of pairs of opposites. But in the experience of absolute reality, all duality is transcended, even the duality between duality and non-duality. Absolute reality is always non-dual. In absolute reality, duality is not erased leaving no trace - one is not left with nothing - because how can there be nothing from something that doesn’t exist?

We are ourselves are creatures of duality. Our consciousness is dualistic; our experience is dualistic; our thoughts; words; and deeds are dualistic; our understanding and practice of the Dharma is dualistic. The Dharma itself is expressed in terms of concepts which are pairs of opposites: skillful and unskillful; mundane and transcendental; conditioned and unconditioned; bondage and liberation; defilement and purity. We have to use dualistic expressions as a means of realizing non-dual reality; we have no alternative.

But in practice can we realize non-duality by mean of dualistic? This what Vimalakirti is getting at in his question to the Bodhisattvas. It is a good question and the Bodhisattvas, one by one, set about answering it. Each Bodhisattva speaks from his own point of view, states a pair of opposites, a duality, and then shows how, by means of the contradictions inherent in it, that duality can be transcended in terms of itself.

For example one Bodhisattva states, “‘Distraction’ and ‘attention’ are two. When there is no distraction there will be no attention, no mentation, and no mental intensity. Thus, the absence of mental intensity is the entrance into nonduality.”

Another Bodhisattva says “‘Bodhisattva-spirit’ and ‘disciple-spirit’ are two. When both are seen to resemble an illusory spirit, there is no bodhisattva-spirit, no any disciple-spirit. Thus, the sameness of natures of spirits is the entrance into nonduality.”

Then yet another Bodhisattava says, “‘Sinfulness and ‘sinlessness’ are two. By means of the diamond-like wisdom that pierces to the quick, not to be bound or liberated is the entrance into nonduality.”

These are but a few of the responses by the thirty-one Bodhisattvas who attempt to answer Vimalakirti’s question. But it is possible to go even further than seeking the entrance to non-duality in any pair of opposites, as Manjushri’s reply to Vimalakirti questions shows. Manjushri says, “Good sirs, you have all spoken well. Nevertheless, all your explanations are themselves dualistic. To know no one teaching, to express nothing, to say nothing, to explain nothing, to announce nothing, to indicate nothing, and to designate nothing - that is the entrance into the non-duality.” But to explain this Manjushri himself has resorted to speech. He has said that silence is the Bodhisattva’s entry into non-duality. So Manjushri’s explanation itself is not entirely free from duality. There is still one more step to be taken - and Vimalakirti takes it.

Manjurshri then says to Vimalakirti, “We have all given our own teachings, noble sir. How may you elucidate the teaching of the entrance into the principle o non-duality?’ Thereupon, Vimalakirti kept his silence, saying nothing at all. Vimalakirti remains completely silent. He puts into actual practice what Manjushri has only expressed in terms of concepts! This is the famous “thunder-like” silence of Vimalakirti, the silence that is more powerful, more expressive, than any words. And it represents no only the climax of the chapter but surely the climax of the entire sutra.

But is not Vimalakirti’s reply also dualistic? Speech and silence are opposites. To explain the Bodhisattva’s entry into non-duality in terms of silence is therefore surely as dualistic as explaining it in terms of speech. The answer is that Vimalakirti does not have a concept of silence. He acts spontaneously according to circumstances. In chapters three and four the Arhats and Bodhisattvas were reduced to silence when they encountered Vimalakirti. In chapter eight Shariputra was reduced to silence by the goddess. But theirs was the silence of stupefaction. Vimalakirti’s is the silence of understanding, the silence of enlightenment. Vimalakirti uses silence, but he has no concept of using it. He uses it as a means to an end.

What can possibly follow Vimalakirti’s thunder-like silence? One might think that almost anything however impressive would be an anti-climax. But as it turns out, it is really not so difficult to follow because in chapter ten we find poor Shariputra in trouble again. The text says, “Thereupon, the venerable Shariputra thought to himself, ‘If these great Bodhisattvas do not adjourn before noontime, when are they are going to eat?’” A short while ago, he was worrying about chairs, now he is worrying about lunch! Why is Shariputra so concerned that they should eat before noon? Shariputra is a monk and according to the Vinaya (rules for monks and nuns), monks are supposed to finish eating by noon. Of course Vimalakirti telepathically knows what Shariputra is worried about. Vimalakirti says to Shariputra, “Shariputra, the Tathagata has taught the eight liberations. You should concentrate on those liberations, listening to the Dharma with a mind free of preoccupations with materials things.” So Vimalakirta takes Shariputra to task again for thinking about material things. But then Vimalakirta adds, “So you are worried about food are you? Just wait and you will eat such food as you have never tasted before.”

Vimalakirti then puts himself into a state of deep concentration and uses his magical power. As a result the entire assembly is able to see a far distant Buddha-field. As we have seen there are an infinite number of Buddha-fields, each with its own characteristics. Here we find another Buddha-field known as “Sweetly Perfumed With All Perfumes.” It is said to be found at the zenith of the horizon and then in an upward direction - beyond as many Buddha-fields as there are sands in forty-two Ganges rivers. This Buddha-field, like all others, is presided over by a Buddha. Here it is said the trees emit a wonderful fragrance that far surpasses all the fragrances, human and divine, of all the Buddha-fields in the ten directions. In this Buddha-field all of the houses, the avenues, the parks, the palaces are not made of brick and stone - but of perfume! And the fragrance of the food eaten by the Bodhisattvas pervades and permeates innumerable universes!

A Bodhisattva that Vimalakirti manifests goes to this Buddha-field and says to the Buddha of that land that Vimalakirti asks for the remains of his meal, because with those remains Vimalakirti will accomplish the Buddha-work in the Universe of Saha (Suffering) which of course is our own world. This Bodhisattva goes to this Buddha-field, is given the food in a perfumed vessel, and in a fraction of second, returns with it to Vimalakirti. And that is not all he returns with. Ninety million Bodhisattvas, who have been given leave to come to our land, accompany him on his return. Vimalakirti of course makes room for them in his house - with the hundreds of thousands of beings already there and he doesn’t bother bringing more thrones from elsewhere, he just creates them out of thin air!

Once everyone is fed - so many tens of millions of beings - there is just as much food as before. Then Vimalakirti ask the Bodhisattvas who have recently arrived how the Buddha of their Buddha-field teaches the Dharma. They tell him, “The Tathagata (Buddha) does not teach the Dharma by means of sound and language. He disciplines the Bodhisattvas only by means of perfumes. At the foot of each perfume-tree sits a Bodhisattva, and the trees emit perfumes like this one. From the moment they smell that perfume, the Bodhisattvas attain the concentration called “source of all Bodhisattva-virtues.” From the moment they attain that concentration all the Bodhisattva-virtues are produced in them.”

The Bodhisattva then returns Vimalakirti’s question, asking him how the Buddha Shakyamuni, “our” Buddha, teaches the Dharma in our world. And Vimalakirti replies, “These beings are very hard to discipline. Therefore he teaches them with discourses appropriate for the disciplining of the wild and uncivilized.” And then he goes on to describe how he teaches. After a long discourse he concludes by saying, “Thus, by means of these varied explanations of the Dharma, the Buddha trains the minds of those living beings who are just like wild horses. Just like wild horses or wild elephants who will not be tamed unless the goad pierces them to the marrow, so living beings who are wild and hard to civilize are disciplined only by means of discourses about all kinds of miseries.”

Conditions in this very impure Buddha-field are such, Vimalakirti says, that Bodhisattavas who work here, have to have very strong compassion and determination - much stronger, in fact than that in purified Buddha-fields.

Now we come to Chapter eleven entitled “Lesson of the Destructible and the Indestructible.” The scene changes from Vimalakirti’s house back to Amrapali park with the Buddha, who is teaching the Dharma to the rest of the assembly. As he teaches the park becomes larger and larger. Not only that; the entire assembly is suffused with a beautiful golden light. Ananda is surprised by this and asks the Buddha what it means. The Buddha replies that it means that Vimalakirti and Manjushri are on their way with a great multitude - and a few seconds later they all arrive. In fact, Vimalakirti magically transports the entire assembly, thrones and all, on the palm of his right hand!

Ananda remarks on the strong scent of perfume, which suddenly pervades the air. The Buddha explains that it is emanating from the pores of all of the Bodhisattvas. Shariputra then explains how it came about and how it can transmit the Dharma. Ananda comments how wonderful this is that accomplishes the work of the Buddha. Then the Buddha in a very important passage replies, “So it is, Ananda! It is as you say. There are Buddha-fields that accomplish the Buddha-work by means of Bodhisattvas; those that do so by means of light; those that do so by mean of the tree of enlightenment; those that do so by means of the physical beauty and the marks of the Tathagata and he goes on that Dhara is taught by means of dreams, images, reflections in water, echoes, illusions and mirages” and he goes on for several more paragraphs. He concludes by saying the Buddhas accomplish the Buddha-work by means of eighty-four thousand types of passion that afflict beings. In this passage the Buddha goes much further than we have gone so far. He says there are many alternative means of communication - many ways to teach the Dharma, yet their enlightenment and their spiritual realizations are all the same. He also speaks at length on the emancipation called “the Destructible and the Indestructible.”

In chapter thirteen Indra, the king of gods, praises the teachings of the inconceivable emancipation and promises to protect the Dharma. The Buddha then relates how he himself practiced the Dharma in a previous existence, following teachings he received from the Buddha of those days. Among these is the teaching of the “four reliances” that one should rely on the meaning of the Dharma, not on the literal expression; on Wisdom, not on ordinary consciousness; on ultimate teachings, not on provisional teachings; and on principles, not on personalities.

The final epilogue the Buddha entrusts this teaching of supreme enlightenment to Maitreya, the future Buddha. Maitreya promises to protect and promote the Dharma, especially the present exposition, which he will ensure is widely taught, copied, talked about, remembered and understood. All of the Bodhisattvas promise likewise, and so do the Four Great Kings, the guardians of the four quarters of the universe. Ananda, who thinks of everything, asks by what name this exposition of the Dharma is to be known. The Buddha tells him that it is to be called the “Vimalakirti sutra,” and amid general happiness and rejoicing the text closes.